[boost til'bust]

Kool_ZX3,Jul 22 2004, 04:25 AM Wrote:I just graduated from college as an auto servive tech and still looking for a jopb to continue as an apprentice but no calls yet :( I hang out at the local mechanic shop near me just up the street and watch him work have a chat etc.. i learned alot since i been outta school from him, great mechanic. How did u put it on with your bare hands, my mechanic always uses a special serpentine belt to, long bar almost looks like a big ratchet with different adapters for all make and models of cars. Works like a charm everytime. I used a prybar on our to put the belt on but nothing bent or anything, i know how to be gentle and it went on great, nothing bent or broke and she is nice and quite. Some mechanic's atre just plain bad. Like i have some tools but nothing special like that serpentine belt tool. KD wants like 100 bucks for the whole thing. Some canadian tires i know and thier good guys, some are horrible all depends on who u get. My dad does all our work+ me :D Our the local mechanic which is the one i am always hanging out there watching him and his son work, we have a good time there it's fun when everyone stops in and tell a few stoires, logts of laughs ;) No one complaint about his shop and never a come back. Boost, how long u been a mechanic and how much u think u have invested in tools and do you use snap on, craftsman, gray???

started here at evans ford when I was 15 on a co-op in high school. I have been working here ever since, I got my mechanic licence when I was 20, and am 23 now.

I have the serpentine belt tool too....but doesnt work on this model of windstar...but bare hands work great in thins situation, it was something I picked up from fellow mechanics here, first you instal the belt on all the pulleys except the alternator, then you can pull up on the belt with one hand while using the other to slip it on to the alternator pulley. the problem with using the pry bar is its easy to chip the ford pulleys(since they are plastic) or bend then as in the case of canadian tire. but this does not work on focus', they dont leave that much room to try this, I usually just use the belt tool, or a wrench from under the vehicle after the ac compressor cover is removed.

I dont stick to one brand of tools, I decide on what I buy based on how well the tool works, and how well it was made, and the price. It would be nice to have all snap-on tools, but they are very expensive. I have spent probably around 6 to 8 thousand on tools so far. my air tools are the most important and most used tools, so they are all good brands like snap-on and mac...but even when you buy the best brands, they still wear out. my sockets and wrenches are mostly craftsman or mastercraft professional series.